Crews locate area of radiation leak at New Mexico nuclear waste site

While the cause of a radiation leak at the United States’ first nuclear waste repository remains unknown, officials have reportedly pinpointed the facility’s contaminated area.

According to the Associated Press, the Department of Energy’s
Tammy Reynolds told residents in Carlsbad, New Mexico, that no
definitive conclusions can be made regarding the latest
discovery, but that further investigation into the area should
produce some information next week.

The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) has been shut down since
February 14, when increased radiation levels were detected inside
and outside the plant.

On Wednesday, crews investigating the leak made their way into
the WIPP and inspected the facility’s various panels, or the
large underground salt beds where nuclear waste is stored. These
panels are located about a half-mile below the Earth’s surface,
and after five hours of inspection they found that Panel 7 was
the source of the leaked contamination.

Despite the discovery, however, workers had to leave the plant
due to radiation readings that spiked as they neared the panel in
question. As reported by the Reuters, the next phase of the
investigation will be to explore Panel 7 and see if workers can
determine what exactly caused the leak.

With high levels of radiation detected, however, that will be
difficult for humans to do – so much so that federal officials
will use robots to inspect the area if extra protective gear
proves to be insufficient. The AP is reporting a roof collapse as
a potential cause, but officials are also considering the
possibility that a forklift punctured one or more of the waste
containers.

Although the WIPP has been shut down for about two months now,
elevated radiation readings have been recorded at least twice in
the plant’s surrounding area. Air monitors have picked up trace
levels of radiation, but federal officials have emphasized that
they are well below what the Environmental Protection Agency
considers a public health danger.

About 21 workers have also tested positive for radiation, though
it’s unclear to what extent they have been contaminated.

As RT reported previously, the facility’s shutdown had stalled
the shipment of other nuclear waste. Last month, government
officials decided to transfer one such shipment to Texas until
the plant is deemed safe enough to reopen.

This radiation leak is the first known instance the WIPP has
experienced since it was constructed in 1999, but some watchdog
groups, such as the Southwest Research and Information Center,
have labeled the project a failure due to the recent leak. Plant
operators, meanwhile, claim the WIPP’s safety measures have
worked as planned.